For 96% of consumers, customer service quality is critical in choosing which brand they’re loyal to. To keep up in a competitive environment, you need to provide callers with positive experiences.

One way to improve your customer service quality and efficiency is to provide your employees with a call screening script. Find out what your script should include by reading on.

A List of Who to Put Through, When

One of the main benefits of having a call screening script is that it allows your customer service team to minimize disruptions to their co-workers and supervisors. However, it defeats the purpose if they are constantly putting customers on hold to check if the person they’re asking to speak to is available. 

Your customers are also more likely to view their experience negatively if they have to wait only to be told that the person they’re looking for isn’t available.

Your customer service team’s screening script should have a list of who to put through and during which situations. It can include anyone from a superior’s spouse to vendors from specific companies. They can immediately and politely tell everyone else that the person they’re asking for isn’t available.

The First Few Seconds

Most of the call screening process happens during the first few exchanges. It gives them most of the information they need to decide whether to put the call through or not.

Take the time to fine-tune your script. Research suggests that it takes just a fraction of a second to form a first impression.

Your Call Screening Script Should Be Something Like This:

Upbeat Greeting

This can be any professional greeting like “hello,” “good morning,” or “good day.” What’s important is that you train your employees to start calls strong and set a positive tone. A gloomy greeting or a sigh right at the start of the call will damage your customers’ confidence in your services.

Acknowledgment of the Customer’s Value

Callers like to hear that your business values them. Examples of this include:

  • “Thank you for calling.”
  • “Glad to hear from you.”
  • “We appreciate your call.”

This may also function as a greeting if you prefer.

The Employee’s Name

Your customer representatives should identify themselves. A simple “I’m John” or “This is Dana speaking” will suffice. It helps personalize the interaction. A customer may also use it as a contact name and resource in the future.

Offer Assistance

Finally, your representatives should signal that they’re there to help. Some ways you can phrase this include:

  • “What can I assist you with?”
  • “How may I help?”
  • “What can I do for you?”

Typically, callers will state why they’re calling when you ask this. However, they may instead just ask to see a specific contact person. This is when you can directly ask for the reason for their call.

What Comes Next?

What your call screening script should include afterward depends on various factors:

  • What type of business you run
  • Whose calls the representative is screening
  • What part of the buyer’s journey your customer is in

For example, retailers should include a template that customer service representatives should loosely follow when a customer calls about their order.

This template should help representatives upsell or cross-sell. If you sell clothes, they may follow up the conversation with something like:

“We’ve received the order for your wife’s blouse, and it’ll be shipped out by tomorrow. Do you have a complete outfit in mind? We have a pair of slacks that would go great with it.”

Create More Positive Customer Experiences!

Get a call screening script customized to your business through Always Answer’s call center services. Boost your customer acquisition and retention efforts by providing more positive customer experiences with the help of our team.

Call us at 1-800-606-9898 or fill out our contact form.